Reading the Signs
by RoryWilcox
Summary: Larten Crepsley is walking through a dense forest one night and finds Darren, lost, alone...and a vampire, without any knowledge of what he is. However, when he asks where Darren came from, he discovers that the boy is deaf, so now he must learn sign language in order to communicate. How will Darren fair in the world of vampires after being turned and abandoned?
1. Chapter 1

In the depths of a forest so dense, rays of light from the moon and stars were thin and far between, a young boy wonders aimlessly. He was alone and scared and shivering from the cold. He didn't know how long it had been since he was left there, but his stomach was grumbling and his mouth was dry with thirst. In the corner of his eye, he saw a shadow move behind the trees. His eyes darted toward the source of the movement, but found nothing. Turning back toward the path he was following; the boy wrapped his arms around himself and walked deeper into the darkness.

Larten Crepsley had been traveling on his own for the past 4 years. He had been getting too comfortable at the Cirque Du Freak and wished to fine-tune his skills by hunting for his own food and blood and living roughly. It had been going well and he was feeling content. One night, he was wandering through a forest in search of a place to rest for the day. This forest was dense and a perfect place to find a shadowed nook to rest in away from the burns of the sunlight. Larten saw a spot ahead where he would be able to rest and approached it.

The boy continued wandering, getting more tired with every step. Eventually, he decided to lay down. He didn't like the idea of sleeping in this forest. He was scared to close his eyes, not knowing what sort of animals or other dangers lied in the dark, but he was lost and didn't know how far he was from the forest's edge. He didn't even know where this forest was. He found a large tree and hesitantly sat under it. The grass was soft and long and the tree casted a long shadow beneath it. The boy hoped that laying under it would make him invisible to possible predators. He laid down and felt his eyelids start to droop immediately. He fought sleep, still terrified. But he couldn't fight sleep off for long. He had started to drift off to sleep, blinking slowly and more frequently, when he spotted a figure standing in the distance.

Larten began walking towards a patch of grass beneath a large tree with the intent of sleeping, but stopped when he noticed another, smaller figure already lying there. He stared for a moment. It was dark, but Larten's heightened senses could see that the figure was a child. The child stared back at him and sat up quickly, immediately tense and alert. Larten approached him cautiously, surprised the boy wasn't running away.

The boy startled and shot up quickly. He couldn't see the figure's face, but he knew he was staring at him. The figure stepped closer and the boy began to shake. In a moment the shadowed man was standing over him and the boy was trembling. The man crouched down and looked the boy in the eye. They were wide and didn't blink as he stared fearfully at the stranger.

Larten crouched down to be at eye-level with the child. He leaned away from Larten and stared at him cautiously. Larten said gently, "It is alright. I will not hurt you." It wasn't until he got close that he noticed how young the boy was. He could not be older than 10. The boy continued to stare.

"What is your name?" Larten asked.

The boy frowned and stayed silent. His eyes changed from fear to confusion.

Larten hesitated. "My name is Larten Crepsley." He began to think he may have come across a mute, but as he stared at the boy he wasn't sure if he even understood what Larten was saying. Maybe there was a language barrier. Larten was about to start speaking in some of the other languages he knew when the boy pointed to his ear and shook his head.

Then it dawned on him. "You cannot hear?" he asked. The boy looked down sadly.

Larten sat down across from him and the boy looked back up at him. They sat in silence for a moment, then Larten heard the boy's stomach grumble. The boy winced and wrapped his arms around himself. Larten noticed that he looked very thin and wondered when he had eaten last.

Reaching into his cloak, he pulled out an apple and handed it to the boy. He stared at it for a moment before slowly reaching out and taking it. As soon as it was in his hands the boy began eating at it quickly. He took large bites and swallowed so fast, Larten was afraid he would choke, but he didn't. After he finished the apple, he nibbled on the core until there was next to nothing left.

After tossing the apple core aside, the boy wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and looked back up at Larten.

Why was he helping me? the boy had thought, but he appreciated it none the less. He didn't want to look a gift horse in the mouth.

'Thank you' he signed to Larten hoping he would understand.

The boy moved his hand so it was flat and the tips of his fingers were on his chin and he extended his hand forward. Larten stared confused, but assumed the boy was trying to say thank you and nodded in response. Larten was more curious than ever who this boy was. Larten knew that if he were to try and find out, he would have to learn the boy's language. If this boy spoke with his hands, then that is what Larten would learn to do.

"So," Larten started. The boy stared at his mouth and Larten hoped he could tell what he was saying. He replicated the motion he had made after eating the apple by placing his hand to his chin and extending it forward. "Thank you?" he asked, being sure to annunciate.

The boy nodded, seeming to understand, and he began to smile. He reached over to where he tossed the apple core and grabbed it. He pointed to it, then made a fist with his right hand. He twisted it back and forth next to his face with his thumb pressed to his cheek.

Larten copied the motion that must've meant "apple". The boy smiled and nodded. They continued to do this for a while. The boy pointed at things nearby and showed Larten the signs. By the end, Larten had learned how to sign 'tree', 'ground', 'shirt', and 'hair'.

The boy was skinny and sickly looking. He was pale and his eyes looked sunken. Larten noticed during a pause between learning signs that was staring at Larten's hands. Finally, the boy pointed to them, then at his eyes, then back at his hands.

Larten showed him his hands and the boy took one and leaned down to look at them. It was dark in the forest and Larten imagined that it must've been very hard for someone without his heightened senses to see. After a moment, the boy let go of his hand and showed his own to Larten. He pointed to his finger tips and Larten gaped. He had small scars on his fingertips identical to the ones on Larten's. This child was a vampire.

The boy pointed between his scars and Larten's and began signing, but Larten could not understand. The boy pressed two fingers against his palm, pointed to the scars, and then shook his open palms back and forth near his stomach. The question was, 'What do these scars mean?'

Larten shook his head, showing that he didn't understand. The boy sighed, trying to think of another way to ask the question. He looked at Larten and shrugged, shook his head, and pointed to his fingers.

Larten looked confused for another moment, then his face scrunched up in suspicion.

"Do you know what you are?" he asked slowly, still annunciating so the child could read his lips. It was difficult to read lips in the dark but the boy managed.

The boy shook his head slowly.

Larten sighed and closed his eyes. This was bad. Who had turned a child without informing him of what vampires were and just leave them alone in the forest? Larten looked at the boy sympathetically. That explained why he was so pale and why his eyes were sunken in. He probably had never had blood before, which meant he could not have been a vampire longer than 2 or 3 months.

Reaching into his cloak, he pulled out one of his blood vials and pulled the cork off. He handed it to the boy, who looked at the red liquid curiously. Larten saw him hesitate and mimed a drinking motion. The boy tenderly put the vile to his lips and poured it into his mouth. He gagged a bit at first, but swallowed it anyway and soon had downed the whole vial.

It didn't take too long for him to feel the effects of whatever liquid the kind stranger had given him. His eyesight improved immensely and his legs were not as sore from walking as they were before. He handed the man his vial back and they sat awkwardly for a few moments.

"It should be almost midday by now," he said, more to himself than to the child. He looked back over at the boy. "Rest," he advised, "We can figure everything out in the evening."

The boy tilted his head and looked confused. Larten pressed his hands together, palm to palm, and pretended to rest his head on them. "Rest," he repeated.

The boy's face brightened in realization. He placed his hand, fingers spread apart, across his face and lowered his arm, bringing his fingers to a point and lowering his head as he did. Larten copied the sign for sleep and they both laid down.

When evening came, Larten woke first. He looked over at the boy, who was curled on his side, still fast asleep. He felt bad that he did not even know the boy's name, but he had no way of asking or understanding the answer. He thought of all the possibilities behind where the boy had come from. Why was he not informed of vampires and their ways? Larten thought that perhaps his master could not tell him because the boy was deaf, but then why turn him at all?

Larten knew there was no way that the apple and blood vial was enough to sustain him. He was still very thin. So, Larten decided to go look for food for them both. He left his cloak so the boy would know he would be returning in case he woke up while Larten was gone.

On his hunt, he found and killed a fox to bring back to cook. He walked back with it slung over his shoulder. He skinned the fox, built a fire, and began to cook it. The boy woke up when it was halfway finished. He sat up and looked over at Larten, relieved that he was still there. Before falling asleep, he was worried that the kind man would abandon him, like his old master did. However, as he was woken by the savory fumes of cooking meat, he knew that this man must have been different.

Once cooked, they split the fox between them and sat, cross-legged, on the ground while they ate. Once finished, Darren and Larten tossed the bones aside. Darren wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and looked back up at Larten.

'Thank you,' he signed.

Larten signed back, "You're welcome."

It was silent for a moment. Larten cleared his throat out of awkwardness and spoke, "You can travel with me if you wish."

The boy just looked at him, tilting his head slightly.

"Would you like to come with me?" Larten asked slowly. "Do you understand?"

At first, the boy did nothing, then he slowly nodded.

"I wish I knew your name," Larten said, still being careful to annunciate.

The boy thought for a while, then he decided that the only way this man and him would be able to introduce themselves to each other is if he could teach him the alphabet.

The boy made a fist with his thumb facing upwards and held it up for the man to see.

Larten stared with interest as the boy made a different sign. He straightened his fingers and bent his thumb across his palm, then he curved his hand into a semi-circle. He continued through the whole alphabet and looked to Larten hopefully. Larten did nothing, so the boy ran through it again, and again until Larten began mimicking the motions.

Eventually Larten picked up on what the boy was doing and he worried. He had never learned to read and write. He could write his name and a few simple things, but he doubted he would be able to fair well understanding spellings in this manner.

They continued running through the alphabet until Larten knew every sign. After that, the boy pointed to himself, then signed, D-A-R-R-E-N.

Then Darren made another sign, the letter d in front of his chin. He moved his hand into a vertical circle downwards. He pointed to himself again and made that sign.

That must be a sign for his name, Larten thought.

The boy, Darren, held two fingers in each hand and pressed them on top of each other, then he pointed to Larten and waved his hands back and forth below his chest. Larten guessed he was asking for his name.

In response, Larten spelled out, L-A-R-T-E-N. His signing was slow and he had to pause to remember certain letters, but in the end, Darren smiled and thought a moment. Finally, he made the letter L with his hand and scratched the side of his face.

Larten looked at him, confused. Darren pointed to him and made the sign again.

 _He must be giving me a sign-name like his own_ , Larten thought. Larten replicated the sign and pointed to himself, his eyebrow aimed into a question.

Darren nodded.

Larten stood. "I need to keep moving," he said slowly, making sure Darren was staring at him before he spoke. "If you are wishing to travel with me, then we should be off."

Darren stood and picked up the small bag he carried with him. After he slung it over his shoulder, he looked back up at Larten and smiled. Larten, in turn, nodded and turned, leading the way out of the forest.


	2. Chapter 2

Darren thought of nothing in particular as he prepared the rabbit he had caught. While the rabbit cooked over the small fire he made he looked around at the small, forgotten chapel he and his master were dwelling in. Mr. Crepsley was sleeping in the shadows behind the altar. The sun was setting outside, shining a dim red light through the thin stained-glass windows. Darren enjoyed following the colorful patterns that stretched across the floors and walls of the chapel. The sun would be down completely within the hour and Darren knew that Mr. Crepsley would wake as the sunlight shifted to moonlight. The orange-haired vampire rarely ever slept in and was often awake within minutes of the sun going down.

Darren had taken longer than a vampire's assistant should have hunting down the rabbit, but he did it none the less. Since he couldn't hear any scurrying animals do in bushes and trees, he had to rely primarily on sight to spot and take down such a small creature. He managed to see this rabbit by chance. He was walking through another part of the park when he saw the briefest movement from the corner of his eye. He turned just in time to see the rabbit disappear behind a tree. Darren crept over to the tree, being cautious not to make noise like Mr. Crepsley taught him and pounced. He made quick work of the squirming rabbit and brought it back to the church to skin and cook.

As Darren was taking the rabbit off the flame, Mr. Crepsley emerged from behind the altar. He walked over slowly, yawning and scratching his scar. It was a familiar habit of his. Darren looked over and smiled.

"Good evening," Mr. Crepsley signed.

Darren nodded in return, already cutting the rabbit and replied with his free hand, "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, thank you," Mr. Crepsley signed as he sat across from Darren.

Darren finished cutting the rabbit and handed it to Mr. Crepsley on one of his collapsible plates. Darren didn't know where Mr. Crepsley had gotten his collection of collapsible plates, cups, and pots and pans. He had asked one day, but Mr. Crepsley didn't know enough sign language to give him a proper answer. Darren could interpret that they were gifts but couldn't tell from where or who gave it to him.

It had been just over a year since they had first met in those woods. In that time, Mr. Crepsley had learned a lot more sign language and could communicate most things with Darren. He was still learning, but he was learning faster than Darren had expected, despite the minor speed bump he discovered not long after they met. Darren was trying to ask Mr. Crepsley about vampires and had to finger spell. That's when it came out that Mr. Crepsley didn't know how to read or write.

They managed to figure it out with Darren sketching things in his journal and using some miming, but after a few months Mr. Crepsley knew enough signs that he could describe the word he wanted to say with other words. It was difficult at times, but Darren was touched and appreciative that he was working so hard to learn.

The pair sat and ate. When they were finished and Darren began packing everything back up, Mr Crepsley signed,

"So, we can communicate very well now. Do you agree?"

Darren nodded.

"I am curious how you wound up in that forest before I found you."

Darren sat back down next to him. He replied, "It's kind of a long story."

Mr. Crepsley shrugged. "We have time."

Darren explained, "When I was growing up I had an uncle who used to visit a lot. He was pretty cool. He used to bring me gifts whenever he came and he would play with me and take me to the park…but he never learned sign language. None of my family did. My parents sent me to a school for deaf kids and that's where I learned to sign, but when I was home I had no way of talking to my parents since they never learned. Then my dad left my mom. I don't know what happened, but I saw them fight a lot, but I they were talking so fast I couldn't read their lips. He left and then it was just me and my mom. When I was 7 my uncle stopped coming around. I didn't see him again until 3 years later, after my mom died. She had been sick and was in the hospital for a while. After she died, my uncle came back and took me in. I was really happy when I saw him again, but something was different about him. I didn't know why, but he just didn't seem the same as he was.

"He moved me out of my town and we just traveled a lot. I noticed so many strange things about him. We only went out at night. Every month or so he would disappear for a few hours and come back in a really good mood. He didn't seem to have a job or anything. I had so many questions, but there was no way for me to ask them, so I didn't. I just followed. One day he took my hands and used his finger nails to cut my fingertips then his. He pressed them together. I didn't know what he was doing, but I didn't fight him, even when it started to hurt. He finally let me go and licked our fingers, then we continued traveling like we were for a month or two, until we were in that forest. He brought into the middle of the forest and I read his lips when he said, 'Stay here. I'll be right back.' So I did. I waited. And waited. I sat there all night and most of the next day, but he didn't come back. Eventually, I got up and started walking. I found a tree to sleep under and that's when you found me."

Darren didn't know at point in his story he started to cry, but by the end of it, tears were steadily streaming down his cheeks.

Mr. Crepsley looked at the boy with a solemn, if not sympathetic expression. "Your uncle seemed different because he was a vampire."

"I know that now," Darren signed. He wiped his eyes with the palms of his hands.

"He turned you into a half vampire when he exchanged blood with you," Mr. Crepsley continued. "I just do not understand why."

Darren only shrugged. "He didn't say anything. He just did it."

Mr. Crepsley looked down, pensive. His initial thoughts were right: Darren had no idea what he was when he found him because this maker had no way of informing him. But why turn him in the first place? And why turn him to just abandon him? Nothing Darren's uncle did correlated with vampire ideals. Mr. Crepsley had so many more questions, but Darren would no know the answers. They all had to do with what his uncle was thinking and why. Mr. Crepsley did know one thing: if the princes found out that not only had Darren's uncle turned a child in to a vampire but did not educate him on what being a vampire meant, _and_ abandoned him, the man would be put to death on the spot.

Mr. Crepsley asked, "What was your uncle's name?"

Darren finger spelled, "M-A-R-K S-H-A-N."

Mr. Crepsley nodded. He did not know anyone by that name, but someone must. The next Council was in 2 years. Mr. Crepsley knew that he would need to present Darren to the Princes at that time. He was unsure what the Princes would choose to do about Darren. He doubted they would charge him for the crimes of his maker, but this was an odd case. Because he was deaf, they may wish to test him in order to be sure he would make a decent addition to the clan. Mr. Crepsley worried what that would entail.

"What's wrong?" Darren asked when Mr. Crepsley didn't say anything.

Mr. Crepsley thought carefully before responding, "Vampires have rules they need to follow. We are not freelance creatures to do as we please. We have leaders and those leaders make laws that must be very strictly adhered to. Changing a child into a vampire breaks one of those laws, so does changing someone who does not know what they are becoming. By vampire law, you should not exist."

Darren cocked his head to the side. "What does that mean for me?"

Mr. Crepsley answered, "I will have to present you to The Princes at the next council in two years' time."

"And…?" Darren looked nervous and his hands lingered in place after he signed.

"They will decide what becomes of you," Mr. Crepsley signed simply. He added, "I doubt they will kill you; none of this is your fault, but they will want to hold your maker responsible."

Darren shifted where he was sitting. "But I don't know where he is. I don't even know if he is alive. Something could have happened to him and that's why he didn't come back for me."

Mr. Crepsley said, "They will try to find him if he is alive. There are not many ways a vampire can hide from the Princes."

Mr. Crepsley proceeded to explain to Darren what the Stone of Blood was and vampires' methods of locating each other mentally.

When Mr. Crepsley felt satisfied that they had talked enough, he and Darren packed up their few belongings and left the chapel, leaving no sign they were ever there.

Mr. Crepsley did not lead him around aimlessly as Darren's uncle had. He still seemed to wander, without a set destination in mind, but each step he took seemed to be as sure footed as if he did. He exuded a self-confidence that Mark never had, and Darren admired that about Mr. Crepsley.

As they traveled, Darren learned more about vampires and their way of life. Mr. Crepsley explained how vampires valued honor and self-image, how they could not have or bear children, and the hierarchy of Princes to Generals, to Guards, to average vampires. There was so much information, Darren found it hard to take it all in, but Mr. Crepsley was patient and answered all his questions.

The hardest part was learning how to hunt and fight. Mr. Crepsley said that learning both was essential to being a vampire. Not being able to hear gave a Darren a significant disadvantage, but Mr. Crepsley did not seem to go any easier on Darren because of it. Training with him was hard, tiring, and often ended with Darren falling on his ass, but Darren enjoyed it. He was surprised how much he enjoyed the hard standards vampires lived by. Mostly, Darren liked studying under Mr. Crepsley. He was kind and was the only person that had ever tried to learn sign language for him. They spent much of their time talking while they walked.

Darren learned that Mr. Crepsley was a very private person but seemed to enjoy asking questions and learning about Darren. Darren told him about his parents and his school. Darren explained that for the first few years that Darren was growing up, his parents didn't even realize that he was deaf. When they did, they didn't know how to handle it. They tried sending him to a normal school, but Darren couldn't keep up and fell behind. He also got picked on all the time. He got teased and harassed every day. That was also the only time Darren was forced to speak. He had to give speeches and read aloud in class along with all the other kids and his classmates would mock and mimic how odd his voice sounded.

"I couldn't help it," Darren had told Mr. Crepsley one day. "I had no idea what my voice sounded like, but I could tell it didn't sound normal because I got teased for it. That's why I never like to speak out loud."

It wasn't until Darren came home covered in bruises and a bloody nose that his parents decided to move and send him to a school for deaf kids, but he didn't know sign language so he still was behind and had to be held back until he understood enough to do any of the assignments. By the time that happened, Darren was over a year behind anyone else his age. Because everyone in his classes were younger than him, and even though the bullying for the most part had stopped, he still had a hard time making friends.

"Even at a school where everyone was like me I was still the odd one out," Darren had said. "I hated school so much."

They spent very little time in large towns or cities. Mr. Crepsley said that vampires tended to remain reserved from humans and interacted with them only when necessary.

"Vampires leave human life behind when they turn," Mr. Crepsley explained. "So, they do not miss or crave it during their vampire life."

Two years went by very quickly and before Darren knew it, Mr. Crepsley was telling him to pack his bags for Vampire Mountain.


	3. Chapter 3

The trek to Vampire Mountain was long and rough. Mr. Crepsley gave Darren thin, gray clothes to wear, they chucked their shoes aside, and were off. The first two months weren't too bad. However, as they journeyed farther, the trek got colder and the nights got longer. They ate mostly plants Mr. Crepsley said were safe and small rodents. Mr. Crepsley brought along vials of blood, but they had to drink from them sparingly.

Darren was nervous about going to Vampire Mountain. Not only did he have to be placed in front of the "Vampire Princes" – who did not sound incredibly friendly based on Mr. Crepsley's brief description of them – and allow himself to be judged and analyzed, but he also realized that apart from Mr. Crepsley and his uncle, he had never encountered another vampire before. That both excited and nauseated him. He was curious about what other vampires would be like but was worried how they would view him. He wasn't the best lip reader in the world and he did not want to look weak for having Mr. Crepsley translate for him all the time. However, he knew that when it came down to it, he would not have the guts to leave Mr. Crepsley's side when in the heart of vampire culture.

Mr. Crepsley made sure they kept a steady pace. Only stopping for a few hours at a time to sleep and eat. As their path got rougher, Darren's feet began to take the hit. At one of their rest stops, Darren looked and found the bottoms of his feet shredded by numerous small cuts. Mr. Crepsley rubbed some spit into them and made a balm out of some sap that helped shield him from further cuts and stopped the bleeding. He had to carry Darren for a few nights and told him to let him know when they started to bleed again.

Then the snow came. First, it was just flurries and a light layer on the ground, but that soon turned into downfalls, hail, and blizzards. Within the next two months, they were trudging through snow that came up to Darren's thighs. They walked single file, with Mr. Crepsley leading and pushing most of the snow out of the way, for miles on end until they finally reached a designated rest stop. This rest stop would contain shelter and coffins for sleeping. They were far from luxurious but seemed heavenly after weeks of sleeping in the snow.

Mr. Crepsley and Darren slept huddled together to preserve body heat and ensure no wild animal targeted either one of them individually. When they woke the next morning, they shared a blood vial and prepared to leave when Mr. Crepsley held out an arm to stop him. Darren looked up at him. His head was cocked slightly to the side and his eyes squinted in suspicious determination. He was listening for something. Darren stared at the cave entrance, on guard, and waited anxiously.

Suddenly, a large figure walked into the cave. He stood in the entryway, blocking the exit and Darren got ready to fight along Mr. Crepsley's side, but Mr. Crepsley relaxed and stepped forward with a smile on his face. Darren's tension released and he looked on with curiosity as Mr. Crepsley greeted the stranger with excitement and joy. They both stepped in from the cave entrance and Darren could get a look at the man Mr. Crepsley walked in with.

He had broad shoulders and dressed similarly to Mr. Crepsley and Darren. His hair was brown and short and he had a friendly face, despite the small scars covering it.

Larten spoke to Gavner with a smile on his face, but he was facing away from Darren, so he couldn't tell what they were saying. Darren stood where he was, unsure what he should be doing.

Finally, Mr. Crepsley turned to Darren. "Darren," he signed, "this is G-A-V-N-E-R. He is a friend of mine."

Darren smiled at Gavner and waved.

"What are you doing?" Gavner asked Mr. Crepsley.

"Darren is deaf." As Mr. Crepsley spoke out loud to Gavner, he also signed along with what he said so Darren could follow the conversation. "He speaks through sign language."

Understanding dawned on Gavner's face. Then his face fell, like he was just realizing something. He turned abruptly to Mr. Crepsley and said something, but Darren couldn't make it out. Mr. Crepsley noticed Darren's confusion and translated,

"Gavner just noticed how young you were." He turned back to Gavner and signed as he spoke, "Darren is my assistant. He is a half-vampire. I am presenting him to the Princes."

Gavner still looked shocked and a little furious. As he spoke, Mr. Crepsley translated to Darren. "But- what- _why_ turn him at all?"

Mr. Crepsley remained calm as he responded, "I did not turn him. I found him after his old master abandoned him."

Gavner's eyebrows furrowed and he looked Darren up and down for a moment. Darren shifted uncomfortably. Finally, Gavner turned back to Mr. Crepsley. "Who turned him?"

"I do not know," Mr. Crepsley said. "I know no one by his name. Mark Shan."

Gavner paused to think. "I can't say I recognize it either. Some of the other Generals may though."

Gavner looked back at Darren, who looked on at the conversation with interest. Gavner sighed and turned back to Mr. Crepsley. They muttered some things quickly to each other and Mr. Crepsley said that they could finish discussing things after they hunted for food.

Later that night, the three were sitting in a way station eating roast venison – although they usually ate their meat raw. As they ate, Gavner and Larten spoke amongst themselves. Darren didn't read their lips, not really having the energy to guess what they were talking about. Instead, he just ate and got lost in his own thoughts.

"What vampire would do that?" Gavner was asking.

Larten shrugged.

"The Princes are going to look for his head."

"He may not even be alive," Larten pointed out. "He may not have abandoned Darren at all."

"If he is…" Gavner looked towards Darren then back at Larten. "How does Darren feel about the whole thing?"

"You can ask him." Larten gestured to the boy.

Gavner looked hesitant. "I can't sign."

Larten smiled. "He can read your lips so long as you speak clearly and face him directly. I will translate what he does not understand."

Gavner nodded and turned back to Darren, who looked back at him curiously. "Do you enjoy being a half-vampire Darren?"

Mr. Crepsley signed along with Gavner just in case. Darren sent a hesitant look to Mr. Crepsley, not sure how to respond. Mr. Crepsley only nodded encouragingly.

As Darren signed his response, Mr. Crepsley translated out loud, "'I'm not sure. I hated it at first because I was confused. I didn't know anything about being a vampire. Now that Mr. Crepsley has taught me so much I don't mind it that much.'"

While Larten and Gavner continued to catch up, Darren left to fill their animal sacks with water in the river nearby. While he was filling up the last sack, he could feel eyes on him. He slowed down as he tied the animal sack and tried to turn his head enough to see behind him without being to conspicuous. When he finally did turn around, he was met with a pair of piercing yellow eyes watching his every move.

Darren froze. He felt his fear begin to rise until it caught in his throat and he gulped. He didn't have time for much else before the wolf lunged at him. Darren cried out as he was hit and knocked to the ground. The gray beast weighed him down and Darren felt it's paws digging into his shoulders. It bent its head down toward's Darren's face and…

Licked him!

Darren laid in shock. When he realized he wasn't in danger, he laughed nervously and reached up to lightly grab the fur around the wolf's neck. It was thick and slightly coarse. The wolf leaned into Darren's hand and he scratched behind it's ears for a moment before the wolf stepped off him.

Darren sat up and stared at the wolf curiously. Why was it being so friendly? Darren was always taught that wolves were shy around people and stayed away, but this one didn't seem shy at all.

The wolf brushed it's head against Darren's arm roughly. Darren took the hint and began to pet him and scratch behind his ears. As the wolf leaned into it Darren smiled.

Darren spent a few minutes playing with the wolf and when he picked up the water bags and began to head back to the rest stop they were staying in the wolf followed him.

When he got back to camp, Mr, Crepsley and Gavner were cutting up a deer they hunted. Mr. Creplsey heard Darren come up and turned around. He wasn't surprised that a wolf would befriend a vampire, but he was surprised that this wolf seemed to be alone.

"I see you've met one of our cousins," Mr. Crepsley commented. He got up and walked over to the wolf slowly, holding his hands palm-up so the wolf wouldn't be alarmed. Once the wolf caught his scent, he padded over and sat in front of him.

"Cousins?" Darren asked curiously.

"Wolves and vampires are related," he explained with one hand while with his other he ruffled the wolf's head to make his ears and mane erect. Gavner stepped up to the wolf and began to pet him as well. Mr. Crepsley stood up straight and turned to Darren.

"Legend says that once we were the same, just as man and ape were originally one. Some of us learned to walk on two legs and became vampires – the others remained wolves."

"Is it true?" Darren asked.

Mr. Crepsley shrugged. "Where legends are concerned, who knows?"

"Why are they so friendly?" Darren asked, eyeing Gavner and the wolf bond. The wolf had rolled onto his stomach and Gavner began ruffling the fur on his belly. Darren noticed a streak of black fur running down the wolf's stomach and thought how Streak would make a good name for the animal. "I thought wolves shied away from people," he continued.

"From humans," Mr. Crepsley corrected. "Vampires are different. Our scent is similar to their own. They recognize us as kindred spirits. Not all wolves are friendly – these must have had dealings with our kind before – but none would attack a vampire, not unless they were starving or provoked."

Gavner stood up and walked over to where Mr. Crepsley and Darren were. He asked, "I wonder where this one's pack is."

"Did you see any more of them?" Mr. Crepsley asked Darren, who shook his head.

"It is curious that a wolf would be traveling alone like this," Mr. Crepsley said to Darren and aloud to Gavner.

"Maybe it was shunned," Gavner suggested. "And traveling to Vampire Mountain for scraps."

"Perhaps," Mr. Crepsley said. "Any matter, we should eat quickly and resume our trek. We are nearly there."

They finished eating and left the way station. Gavner and the wolf that Darren began to think of as Streak, travelled with them until they got to Vampire Mountain. As they got closer, Mr. Crepsley told Darren, "When we get to Vampire Mountain you will need to speak to get recognized by the gate."

Darren shot Mr. Crepsley a worried look. "What do you mean?"

Mr. Crepsley responded gently, "Just one simple line. We can practice first if you wish."

"What do I have to say?"

Larten replied, "'I am Darren Shan, come to seek Council.'"

Darren fidgeted with the end of his shirt. He never felt comfortable speaking out loud before.

"Or I can speak for you," Mr. Crepsley suggested.

Darren hated the idea of seeming so weak for having someone speak for him, so he signed, "No. That's okay. I can speak. Can we practice first?"

Mr. Crepsley nodded.

When Darren first spoke, his voice was much too loud and his words were barely intelligible. Mr. Crepsley and Gavner both flinched and Streak looked up, alarmed. Upon seeing that, Darren's face flushed with embarrassment and he turned his face away. Mr. Crepsley quickly backtracked and signed,

"It is alright," he assured. He did not want to embarrass the boy. "That was good, just a bit loud. You can speak softer."

After taking a deep breath, Darren tried lowering his voice and spoke again. Mr. Crepsley nodded. His words were still unclear, but through repetition and Mr. Crepsley's gentle coaching, Darren could eventually say the line without much issue.

Once they reached the mountain, Mr. Crepsley and Gavner found a tunnel and the three climbed in, Mr. Crepsley leading, Darren in the middle, and Gavner at the back. Mr. Crepsley and Gavner had expected Streak to go off on his own once reaching the Mountain, but the wolf remained with them as the ventured into the tunnels, rarely leaving Darren's side. Once they were crawling, it was too dark to see and Darren had to trust that Mr. Crepsley was still ahead of him until the tunnels widened and the tunnel got brighter. He would have been scared if he hadn't felt Streak following close behind him. Once the tunnel opened up, they all stood up and Darren asked,

"Where is the light coming from?"

"It is…" Mr. Crepsley stopped as he realized he did not know a sign for luminous lichen. There probably wasn't one at all. He said instead, "It is a type of fungus that grows on the walls. It gives off light and it grows all over the mountain."

"Everywhere?" Darren asked.

They continued walking through the tunnels as Mr. Crepsley answered, "Not everywhere. We use torches where it doesn't."

They traveled deeper in the mountain, taking tunnels marked with arrows. After what felt like ages, they came to a large wooden door. Mr. Crepsley made himself look presentable and knocked on the door with his bare knuckles. After a moment, a man in green came out with a spear in his hand. He eyed Darren suspiciously and turned to Mr. Crepsley and Gavner.

He spoke and Darren could make out, "Address…to the gate."

This is what Mr. Crepsley had told him about. Darren rehearsed his line in his head as he saw Mr. Crepsley and Gavner speak to the guard. After Gavner addressed himself to the gate Mr. Crepsley gave Darren a small nod and Darren spoke,

"I am Darren Shan, come to seek council."

After he spoke, he looked on the guard anxiously, but he did not respond as if anything was unusual. For that, Darren was relieved. Mr. Crepsley nodded at him proudly and he felt a small twinge of pride.

The guard spoke, "Larten Crepsley is recognized by the gate. And Gavner Purl is recognized. But the boy…" He pointed his spear at Darren and shook his head.

Darren eyed the spear nervously as Mr. Crepsley answered. Darren spared a sideways glance and tried to read Mr. Crepsley's lips, but he couldn't read them from a sideways angle.

The guard answered whatever Mr. Crepsley said by asking, "Do you vouch for him?"

When Mr. Crepsley answered with what Darren assumed was a 'yes' the guard lowered his spear and said, "Then Darren Shan is recognized by the gate. The Halls are open to all of you. Enjoy and farewell."

The guard let them pass and Mr. Crepsley and Gavner led the way through the tunnels. The guard didn't seem bothered by the presence of the wolf. Mr. Crepsley said that while it was odd that a wolf would choose to accompany vampires this far in the mountain, they were not unwelcome visitors. The first place they went was an open cave Mr. Crepsley called the Hall of welcome. There were seats build out of animal bones surrounding the walls. There was also a small bonfire in the middle of the room. There were a few vampires in the Hall already, chatting and warming themselves by the fire. Mr. Crepsley led them to a bench in the far end of the cave and sat down.

Darren was relieved to be sitting down somewhere warm. He didn't realize how tired his limbs were until he let himself relax against the wall. Gavner and Mr. Crepsley seemed to feel the same. When Darren sat, Streak placed himself at his feet and laid down. After a few minutes of sitting, another vampire walked into the room. Darren saw him first. He was old and gray and dressed in all red. Mr. Crepsley stood abruptly and walked to the man across the Hall. They were both smiling and Mr. Crepsley slapped the other man on the back.

They both returned to the bench and talked amongst themselves. Darren wished he knew what they were saying but did not want to stare too intently and eavesdrop, so he leaned back against the wall and stared at the fire.

Mr. Crepsley rushed forward excitedly when he saw Seba Nile walk into the Hall. "Seba!" he roared and slapped his former master on the back. They sat down and spend a few minutes catching up. When Larten got to Darren, he briefly explained how he found Darren in the woods with no knowledge of what he was and how he planned on presenting him to the Princes.

"They will not approve of this," Seba commented.

"I know," Larten replied. "It took me a year to even learn what happened since he is deaf and can only sign."

Seba nodded. "That will make life as a vampire more difficult for him, but not impossible. We have had deaf vampires join the clan in the past."

"Have you known any?" Larten asked, surprised to hear that vampires had a place for deaf vampires. He only heard of vampires who developed an impairment and sought out a noble death because of it. It gave him little hope that the Princes would treat Darren mercifully. However, if other vampires have been able to make decent lives for themselves, then perhaps Darren could be accepted by the Princes after all.

Seba nodded. "I knew one several decades ago. He worked in the kitchens for a while. I learned quite a bit of sign language from him."

Larten's eyebrows raised. "So, you can speak with Darren?"

"Possibly," Seba answered. "From my knowledge, signing is different depending on your country. The man I knew learned American Sign Language. What can Darren sign?"

"I am not sure," Larten answered. "I was not aware that there were different kinds."

Deciding to test it out, Larten and Seba turned to Darren, whose eyes were focused on the fire pit.

Mr. Crepsley got his attention by waving his hand up and down in his peripheral vision. Darren looked over and Mr. Crepsley started to introduce him to the man he was with.

"This is Seba Nile," he signed.

Darren smiled and waved, like he did whenever he would meet someone who did not sign.

Darren was surprised, however, when the older man Larten was introducing him to signed back, "Nice to meet you, Darren."

Darren stared, wide eyed for a moment, before replying excitedly,

"You too!" Then they began to have a full conversation. Seba signed very well and Larten was slightly surprised that he remembered so much from decades before, but then came to realize that he expected no less from the older, wise vampire.

Darren was smiling while he told Seba his story, despite it being a sad one, seeming just pleased to be able to talk to another person.

When he finished, he asked Seba how he knew to sign and if he had a sign name. When Seba said no, Darren thought a moment before moving his fist shaped in the letter 's' by his chin. He made a motion that combined the signs for old and red around his chin, assigning the motion as Seba's sign name.

Seba memorized the sign as his name and said, "Thank you."

Darren smiled in return.


End file.
